In Tempus Venenatis et Velit Leo
by Lyrasloon
Summary: [Merlin/TRC/XxxHolic] Fai doesn't make it out of Celes with everyone else, but uses all of his power to get them to Nihon. His dying wish is to see them one last time and tell them things he didn't have time to. Be careful what you wish for. -Spoilers for Spring Thunder- Note that Kimi is the owner, cause I like it that way. Can someone help him before it's too late?
1. Arrivals and Departures

A/N: Well, I guess I'm doing it again. . I've found another idea (not that I'm short on them or anything. Believe me, I'm at the point where I'm writing them down in a journal for later), even though I'm still like six months behind on any and all of my other ones. Sigh. If it helps, _Emrys_ is over 2500k on my latest chapter and has quite a few answers to some things that have been hanging around. I still have to work on the others, too. T.T

Anywho, this is probably my first fic of this type...I think. I've done a TRC crossover before on another account but took it down. I've never even thought of trying it with Merlin, as its almost always a HP thing. Apparently, this particular type of crossover is unheard of. Who knew? Oh, and the basic disclaimer applies. I always forget. For the first part, its from TRC: Spring Thunder. So, I guess that there are some serious spoilers for at least the beginning

Summary: Fai arrives in Camelot and immediately collapses, requesting sanctuary from King Arthur and his newly appointed Court Sorcerer, Merlin.

Chapter One: Arrivals and Departures

" _Hey, what's going on here?" Kurogane asked, looking confused at the sudden surge of magic after King Ashura's death._

 _Fai, who wouldn't take his eye off the ground, answered in a solemn tone._

" _This world...this world is being closed up, all because of my magic."_

 _Looking around, Kurogane could find no exit or way to escape the closing world of Celes. Things didn't look good, that was one thing he was certain of. If he couldn't find a way out, they were most likely all going to die here._

" _We're leaving this place. Come on, Fai." he said, not entirely certain how they'd escape. Fai wasn't fighting against him, but it didn't look like he was going to be cooperative either._

" _No, we can't all go. However-" Fai said, looking up for the first time in a while, seeming determined. Kurogane looked over at him questionably, unsure of what the mage had in mind. "Syaoran! Don't let go of Sakura or Mokona!"_

 _After Syaoran nodded, looking as serious and resolved as ever, Kurogane finally pulled on the mage's coat and demanded an explanation._

" _What do you have up your sleeve?"_

" _You need to leave. Now." Fai said, concentrating his magic towards Syaoran, Mokona and Sakura. As the purple runes floated and surrounded them, they were transported outside of the dangerous surges of magic. Fai then turned to a shocked Kurogane, who was still holding on to him and sent his spell over the both of them. It was taking longer than it should, Fai knew, especially when he started coughing up blood. An image of the Clone Syaoran taking his left eye briefly popped up in his mind, and he realized the ugly truth. "I can't...my magic."_

 _Syaoran reached his hand out, feeling the world of Celes close up and knowing there was nothing he could do. Mokona looked at him, feeling sympathetic._

" _Hey, Syaoran."_

" _What Mokona?"_

" _The ring that's always on Mokona's ear...take it." Syaoran gave him a questioning look, unsure of what she meant. "I learned about it in a dream. It was from the other Mokona. Please, do it!"_

 _Syaoran reached out towards Mokona's ear slowly and carefully took it off, almost as if he was afraid of what might happen. He wasn't sure, but he hoped it would help somehow. As soon as he took it off, it cast a bright beam straight down to where Fai and Kurogane were standing. Kurogane saw the escape they were hoping for and started pulling Fai with him, but Fai merely glared at him._

" _Go." he whispered, giving a demanding glare. Kurogane didn't know about him being the core of the spell, and no amount of pulling would let him leave his dying world. If he stayed, he'd just end up dying as well._

Fai gasped and looked around at his surroundings, which were eerily familiar. He hadn't landed as well he had planned, given that it was a last ditch effort to save his friends. He knew that Kurogane would never let go on his own and he remembered using what little was left of his magic to more or less push the entire group into the next dimension. The last thing he could remember was wishing that he could have said goodbye and talked all of them one final time. He would have told them so many things, but he knew he was probably going to die from using what was left of his magic or being slowly crushed. Crying would do him no good, but he knew that no one was here to see, now that he had lost everyone. After that, he couldn't remember anything except for waking up on what he could only guess was Yuuko's front yard. After trying to get upright and at least make an attempt to make himself look presentable, he realized it was pointless. After the battle and then using all of that magic, it was a wonder he was still alive at all. He should be dead after all, but maybe it was his will to see them one last time or something. He supposed asking the witch would just cost him more than he could possibly afford at this point, so he'd have to stick with the one wish...when he could move.

After what had seemed like some mere minutes, he could hear sounds coming from what he guessed was quite a distance away; Fai wasn't sure he could find it in himself to care. He felt so tired and all he wanted to do was just rest on the soft grass until his power had returned to the point that he could at least attempt to sit up, let alone stand. He vaguely registered someone picking him up and moving him and could barely manage to open his eye. The man seemed to lift him just as easily as Kurogane did, which made his heart break at the thought of possibly never seeing him again.

"Kuro." Fai mumbled, letting a tear slip as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Watanuki hadn't been the owner of the shop for a very long time, but he could tell different things by now. He knew that someone was out on the lawn and that they needed help, but he couldn't necessarily figure out why. He had Doumeki go and fetch the person, who seemed to be gripping Doumeki's shirt in their sleep. Admittedly, Watanuki hadn't been paying that much attention to the details, thinking the person might have fallen asleep against the fencepost or something. On closer inspection, he noted it was not just _any_ customer. It was Fai, one of those travelers that were constantly crossing dimensions. He hadn't heard anything from them in a while, probably not since before Celes. Something must have happened for him to not only end up here _alone_ , but also unconscious. Whatever it was could be solved later, when he could talk to him.

"Put him in the room across the hall. When he wakes up, he can have a bath and some dinner. He must have come straight from Celes, I suppose. I just wonder why he isn't with everyone else. Last I had heard from them, they were on their way there from Infinity, I think." Watanuki mused, looking at Doumeki thoughtfully.

"Maybe they left him there." Doumeki thought, giving a backwards glance towards Fai's current room. Watanuki hated to admit it, but it had crossed his mind at one point.

 _Why would they leave him behind, unless-_

"Maybe it wasn't their choice, and he just came here by mistake. Of course, we both know by now what Yuuko thought about those."

"Hitsuzen?" Doumeki asked, already having a bad feeling about this. This wasn't going to end well somehow.

"Yes. I have a feeling that he wished himself here at the last possible moment, using almost all of his power. He might have just wanted to say one final goodbye, not truly caring about his outcome in the end." Watanuki said, sounding sad at the thought.

It was three more days until Fai woke up enough to move around for a few hours at a time. He was looking very pale and was breathing hard after only a few hours of standing. It was obvious what the problem was, but no one would say anything. The fact was that Kurogane was in Nihon and the last time Fai had fed was probably Infinity, right before leaving for Celes. Fai knew that Watanuki was just being nice, letting him stay here for what could be his last days. He didn't know if he could afford to pay any sort of price to stay here, nevermind say his final goodbyes to everyone who probably thought he was dead and gone forever. The one thing that puzzled him was the absence of Yuuko. She was noticeably missing and obviously not on some sort of vacation as far as he could tell, but asking Watanuki always seemed to cause the man pain. Every time he tried, Watanuki either redirected or lied; telling himself more than himself that she'd be back any day. The painful truth was that he was the owner and he was going to have to learn not run from it anymore.

Fai had started to enjoy sitting outside on the veranda; watching the sunrise with Maru and Moro, sometimes joined by Watanuki and Larg. Doumeki was still going to school, but seemed to spend almost all of his free time at the had gone back in to make breakfast when the day went from bad to worse. Larg talking to the twins, not paying much attention to the fact that their long-term guest hadn't been paying attention to the conversation for a good part of the last hour. He was tired, but he knew the feeling came from his lack of eating. He ate whatever was made for him these days, but sometimes it was like he couldn't taste it at all. He knew that Watanuki was trying new soup recipes, along with anything else relatively easy on the stomach. He wasn't sure how or why, but the shop owner had become somewhat of a close friend lately. Doumeki had been coming pretty late and looking tired, going between the shop and his shrine's book collection. Apparently, he had been convinced into looking for a cure to vampirism, or at least a way to help in some way. Fai needed to help somehow. Everyone was working on a cure or at least trying to find something for him to eat. He could do some cleaning or try and help with the cooking somehow, at the very least.

He smiled as he heard the nonsensical humming coming from the kitchen. Obviously, Watanuki was in a fairly cheerful mood today. He would be a lot more morose if he found out that Fai was coughing again, so Fai had no choice as far as helping in how to help today. The cough wasn't too terrible and could even be ignored most of the time. Fai could feel the urge to cough building in his chest and practically ran back to what was currently his room. By the time he got there, he was wheezing and leaning on one of the bed posts. He tried to subtly cover his mouth and smother the impending coughs, but he had no control as he was slowly lose his grip on his ability to stand. He knew that this round of coughs had been so forceful and loud, and Watanuki would soon start running over here as soon as he could make sure that nothing would burn the shop down. He soon heard the tell-tale steps that were bordering on stomping, which he knew without a doubt was Watanuki. The next round of coughing caused him to bring his hand to his chest as he wheezed and sank to the floor, barely noticing Watanuki run up to him and sit on the floor.

"Fai?!" Watanuki yelled in panic, seeing him wheezing on the floor. Doumeki had called him with what he said was the closest thing to a cure that he could find. It was hardly a cure at all, really. All he could do was wait around and watch someone who had become one of his closest friends suffer, hoping that the dimensional travelers would win their battle against Fei Wong Reed and reclaim his eye. "Fai? Come on, at least let me get you into your bed with some water or something."

It was no use, though; as Fai was on the edge of a pain-induced slumber, giving him the biggest smile he could manage. Watanuki internally winced, knowing that despite his efforts, it looked more like a grimace than a smile.

"It's okay, Fai. I'll get you into bed somehow. You can just rest and let me help you, okay?" Watanuki whispered, struggling with himself and putting on the bravest face he could manage for his friend.

"You're very brave, my Kimihiro. Don't worry." Fai whispered, stroking his cheek like he would with Sakura. "You'll be fin-" he told him, only to start coughing again. Watanuki sat him up and let him lean against him for support.

He really hated hearing his friend cough and wheeze like that, and it looked like he was starting a low grade fever as well. He'd have to send Doumeki out for some home remedies and teas. He couldn't solve the problem, but he could at least help counter it a little bit. Haruka had told him once that transferring little bits of magic can help with healing sometimes, and there was no time like the present to give it a try. He sensed more than heard Doumeki come into the room, which broke his concentration. Fai leaned toward him, which he took as a good sign as Doumeki helped him up into bed. Leaning towards Fai again, he touched his forehead and concentrated while talking to Doumeki.

"I'll cook us something in a while, but right now I need some things from you."

Doumeki looked at him with a barely lifted eyebrow, even though he knew that his friend couldn't see him.

"Hn."

TBC…

Well, I suppose that's quite a bit for I guess the prologue? I figured with him going to Camelot (which is a little distance/time from Nihon, obviously), he'd need to have the vampire blood problem fixed. I think that this was how things ended up, but I haven't read it for a long time. T.T I'm pretty sure that Merlin will appear in the next chapter.


	2. The Price and the Cost

A/N: Okay, so I'm seriously trying to update all of my stories, but some of them are going to be a little more difficult than others. I know my Emrys one is going to get complicated, but so is the NCIS one. Sigh. Ah well. It's my fault for trying to do so much at once.

Last chapter: Fai has ended up at the shop after making a last minute wish to be able to say goodbye before he dies after saving everyone in Celes, only to end up in a deathly state because of him not being able to have Kurogane's blood. Will he die before he's even had a chance to say his goodbyes or will Watanuki be able to save him?

**So you know, Kimihiro will be used in Fai's thoughts and when he's talking to Watanuki, but otherwise it's just going to be Watanuki for obvious reasons.**

Chapter 2: The Price and the Cost

Fai drifted in and out of consciousness, feeling weaker than he had in days. He knew the reason and he suspected that he wasn't going to last long enough to say his goodbyes to his friends. He hadn't said it outloud to Kimihiro, but he was sure that the reason why his friend was looking so tired was because he was trying to deny the inevitable truth. He turned to see Kimihiro, or as he had affectionately started to call him these days Kimihiro-chan; Fai remembered him turning red as a tomato the first time he heard it. Although, now it was more of a pet name like the ones he had for Kuro. Sighing, he started lightly using his hand to slowly comb his friend's hair like he used to with Sakura. It was probably just a comfort for him to do things like using names and combing hair, since he'd never see them again; at the very least, he could be happy knowing that they were all alive. Kimihiro leaned into his hand, seeking whatever comforts he could get from what could be his friend's last days; of course, Fai was well aware of the fact that the kid had never had this kind of attention growing up and took to it like a plant did to the sun.

Hearing footsteps approaching that he knew were Doumeki's, Fai withdrew his hand and turned away, trying in vain to smother the sounds of his deep coughs that were only getting louder and making it harder to breathe. Fai mentally sighed, vaguely hearing his friend shoot up from his sleep and Doumeki come in with tea and a few herbs. It wasn't fair that they had to suffer because he wanted to say goodbye.

"Fai, I'm sorry. I fell asleep and I was supposed to be the one getting the tea ready." Watanuki said, on the verge of panicking. Personally, Fai felt quite guilty that he had woken him up in the first place. Watanuki knew his friend was out of it, so he might not have noticed him adding a bit of his magic to the tea. He wasn't sure how his friend would feel if he knew that he was trying to sustain him using his own magic. This would be the first of many times until he was contacted by the other travelers. Then, if Fai was strong enough, he'd let him dream walk using him as a conductor of sorts. It was as good a plan as any, and the best he could come up with on such short notice. He had talked with a few contacts and this was the best solution that any of them could come up with so far. As Watanuki helped Fai drink all of his tea, he saw him blink as if he was trying to concentrate on something before letting it go. Watanuki shared a quick glance with Doumeki and took the cup from his friend. As he helped his friend lay back down, he gave the cup back to Doumeki and inwardly sighed in relief. It looked like Fai had somewhat noticed what he had done, but passed it off as some coincidence or accident. He knew that the more he drank, the more alert he would become and it would only be a week or so before he noticed what was going on. Watanuki looked at his friend sadly once more and rearranged the covers before leaving.

Deep inside the pit of his stomach he couldn't help but appreciate the irony of the situation. He put his hand up to his shared eye unconsciously and couldn't help but wonder if Fai would even want to be friends with him after this. He knew what was coming next and purposefully went towards the bathroom before feeling a slice on his side. He had barely gotten top part of his outfit before seeing it and was able to get some towels to save himself. He had saved a few of his more casual clothes on several occasions. There was a big string of issues when he had first inherited the store and wasn't able to keep the balance of the wishes effectively. After that, he had learned to be more cautious, but he had also learned to have a super large first aid kit just in case. He had a nagging feeling that he was going to run out of bandages by the time Fai got to feeling better. He was happy to know that this time he didn't need any and made the towels disappear. He felt horrible for doing this to his friend without his permission, but it was the only way he could think of to let him be strong enough to be able to say goodbye. As he exited the bathroom, he looked towards the room and bit his lip. He wouldn't let Fai die, even if it wasn't exactly what his friend had planned. He was going to save him and then perhaps send him some place where he could finally be happy. It was just unfortunate that the price of this would be his companions and probably their friendship.

**one week ago**

Watanuki could see that Doumeki was just about at the end of his rope, having read just about every book in his grandfather's library. They had even gone as far as to ask Kohane's grandmother, which had unfortunately achieved the same results. There were very few people he could think of asking for any sort of information that he trusted. Talking to Haruka had fortunately, achieved slightly better answers than anyone else had given him. It hadn't been much, but it was better than nothing.

" _Is he a good friend of yours, then?" Haruka asked, smoking as he usually seemed to be whenever he saw him these days._

" _He's become very dear to me and now I think I may lose him, due to the fact that the one he receives blood from is worlds away. I hate watching him waste away like this. Is there nothing I can do?" Watanuki pleaded, looking at the man desperately._

" _Very little, I'm afraid. He'd need all of his magic back, and you know what that means."_

 _Watanuki closed his eyes, feeling frustrated. Of_ course _he knew. He had to wait for confirmation that the clone was dead and the eye was taken care of. His vampirism should be cured if he was able to counteract it with Fai's overwhelming amount of magic.* But that could take a long time and Fai might not last that long without Kurogane's blood. What then?_

" _He might not last that long. It could take them quite a while to get it and in the meantime, he's just…"_

" _I know, but I can't give you the answer for that. I can only tell you so much." Haruka said, looking apologetic. Watanuki nodded and faded, before he woke up back in the real world._

Watanuki sat down and stirred his dinner, not feeling the slightest bit hungry anymore. He always felt jittery and generally only cooked for the others. He put his dinner back in the pot on the stove and left it for the pit of a stomach that he sometimes called a friend. As he went to the sink and washed off the dish, another person came to mind. It was somewhat of a last ditch effort, seeing as he was pretty sure that there weren't any vampires existing in that general time.

He had been feeling uncomfortable with the way his powers had been growing lately, especially after he had inherited the shop. His latest discovery was his ability to contact just about anyone, either by dream walking or using this...device he had found.** He couldn't particularly concentrate on one place in the palace without a picture, so he was forced to use the basin and concentrated on the one he wanted to talk to. He just had no idea how amusing the whole ordeal would be.

 _At first he felt a little confused, seeing what looked like a lab with no one in sight. There were bottles lined up and a few items that seemed to be floating for no reason. Watanuki sighed, wondering if he had the wrong place until he saw the table move and heard someone mumbling about things that were running away. Slightly amused for what felt like the first time in weeks, Watanuki had the urge to whistle or do something equally loud. In the end, he saw a boy that was about his age eventually pop up and with some kind of test tube in his hands, looking frustrated. Watanuki couldn't help himself any longer and finally laughed at his friend's...current situation. Looking up, Merlin almost dropped the liquid in shock before being forced to have it float. He glared at Watanuki before he plucked the absurd potion and put it on the counter, mumbling about stupid and asinine reasons for making it. Watanuki blinked a few times at the klutz and sighed. Seriously. When Merlin finally looked at him, he could've sworn he heard Watanuki mutter something along the lines of "more of a klutz than a powerful warlock"._

" _Are you here to insult me or talk to me? Personally, if I wanted someone to insult, I always have the prat." Merlin whined halfheartedly while Watanuki rolled his eyes._

" _If you're done, I have a serious problem."_

 _Merlin, who had been gathering all of the different bottles, stopped suddenly and narrowed his eyes. Usually, they both just talked about general things and it was rare that something would happen where one of them needed the other's advice. Grabbing a nearby stool, he gave Watanuki his full attention._

" _Go on and tell me. I'll try not to let you down."_

" _I know, but-"_

" _This is about that friend of yours that's been staying with you, isn't it?" Merlin asked, making his friend gape at him. "You're not the only one with a talent for dream walking, my friend. I am supposed to be magic itself."_

 _Watanuki rolled his eyes, and gave him a blank look._

" _That may be, but it seems that 'magic itself' is a klutz with an inevitable issue of consistently dropping things or losing them."_

" _Pot meet kettle." Merlin returned offhandedly. "Anyhow, I've looked it up and I can't say that there's anything like that around here."_

 _Watanuki sighed and let his head fall in frustration, feeling both helpless and hopeless. He had no idea what to do now that he had exhausted all possible leads. He looked back up at a contemplative Merlin, which could end up being very good or very bad. Having no other particular options, he mentally shrugged._

" _What are you thinking?"_

" _It's not something I've really ever had to try, and it's just a mere theory at this point; but if he's wasting away at such a rate, there's only one thng I can think of." Merlin said as he tapped his chin in thought._

" _Could it at least slow down the process until the problem is solved? All I need is to buy him some more time."_

" _Theoretically, yes. I'll tell you, but you have to understand that he might not appreciate it as he was dying already. I'm sure that out of everybody that could use this method, you in particular could understand the implications."_

" _My eye, you mean."_

" _Yes, that's what I mean. You've told me all about it and so I'm sure that you can appreciate how keeping him alive this way when he was dying might anger him or it might make him hate you altogether. On the other hand, he might just appreciate you making the sacrifice so that he has enough time to do what he wishes."_

" _Is that what you told yourself?" Watanuki asked, feeling happy about the option and yet...depressed that one of his closest friends might end up hating him._

" _Yes, it was. Of course, it was a long and quite tortuous road, but you know how that ended."_

 _Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Watanuki looked at him with eyes full of determination and a hint of sadness. It wasn't as if Merlin didn't know exactly how that felt, which is exactly why he felt that he had to warn him._

" _What do I have to do?"_

" _You make any kind of tea you think he'll like and put some herbs in it, depending on his ailments at the time. You know, ginger or honey for a fever; thyme for his coughing or a bowl with hot water. Of course, some of those thin soups that are easy to eat would be good for this, but teas are better." Merlin sighed and bit his lip. He didn't want to tell him the next part, but it was the necessary issue. "This is the most essential part, I'm afraid. Whatever you give him, you must also...attach a bit of your magic to it. I'd use fairly little if I were you and just give it to him several times a day."_

" _What?" Watanuki asked, looking confused. "Why? Why not just give him bigger doses once or twice a day?"_

 _Merlin sighed, mumbling "And they call me an idiot."_

" _Hey! What's_ that _supposed to mean?"_

" _Think about it! He can easily sense magic, even in his weakened state!" He saw his friend deflate and regretted yelling at him, but he needed to know. "If he senses something is up this early, what do you think will happen?"_

" _I get it, he'll be suspicious and probably stop eating altogether or watch me like a hawk. It'll be bad enough when he's strong enough to figure it out and then he'll probably start trying to use his magic against mine."_

" _What will you do if he does?"_

 _Watanuki shook his head, hoping it never came to that. He didn't want to fight him like that._

" _I guess I'll have to either use spells on him or...play dirty. I think that his magic is one of the only things keeping him alive, so I can't bind it."_

" _Fair enough, I suppose. I wish you luck."_

" _Thanks for all of your help."_

" _You know I'll always try to give you any advice or even talk to you if you want."_

" _Yeah, and I appreciate it." Watanuki said, gently smiling as he started to close the connection._

" _One thing I forgot to mention, though. I know that you have your fair share of magic, just like I do; however, this method is not much different than vampirism. And you know what happens to the one who gives blood." Merlin said, looking unusually serious._

" _They lose blood, for one thing." Watanuki frowned. "I'm not going to be losing blood too, am I?"_

" _Well, I suppose that's up to the shop, isn't it? The cost of this method is that it will make you unusually tired. I know how you're usually sleeping due to the dreamwalking you do, but doing this several times a day for at least a week will take its toll. On top of which, there's whatever the store seems to want to balance out? I just want you to be careful is all." Merlin told him, looking anxious. He'd never tried it long term before, so he had no idea what could happen to someone who did._

" _But you said it was just a theory." Watanuki shot back, almost accusingly._

" _I tried it once, but it wasn't for more than a day or so. You're trying to do this for at least a week, if not more. This is dangerous, you know."_

" _Yeah, well it's better than nothing."_

" _Doumeki will help you if you ask, you know that. But you're not going to tell him, are you?" Merlin asked him, narrowing his eyes. "You do know how angry he'll be at you. Maybe I should just tell him instead."_

" _You wouldn't!" Watanuki yelled, fuming at his friend possibly betraying him like that._

" _Someone obviously needs to make sure that you don't kill yourself. You'll either bleed because of that store or possibly drain yourself dry."_

" _Why tell me then?!"_

 _Merlin looked at him, still quite angry with both himself and Watanuki at the same time._

" _I had hoped you wouldn't have to do it for so long, for one; I also thought that you would see sense and tell Doumeki about it. But don't worry, I won't interfere unless I'm forced to."_

" _Merlin, that's not-"_

" _I'm your friend and I thought I was yours, but I guess that's just wishful thinking on my part. Maybe if I was, you wouldn't be forcing me to watch you try and kill yourself. Of course, if I was your friend, then I wouldn't have been so stupid as to tell you such a dangerous method in the first place." He watched as Watanuki stepped back, looking as if he had been slapped. "Maybe you should think about telling him the truth, and maybe you should try being honest with yourself. I know I never was." Merlin finished, looking like he wanted to do nothing but cry._

" _Merlin, we are friends. You should know that by now, you know?" Watanuki said quietly. "Why would you even say something like that?"_

 _Merlin swallowed hard, determined not to cry in front of him. It would do no good anymore. Even if he made demands or just begged, nothing would come of it. It was possible that Watanuki would get deathly ill from this and it was his fault. He had more than likely killed the only person that could ever understand what it was like._

" _You were always the only one that ever understood and now...now I've quite possibly sentenced you to-"_

" _Merlin, don't do this." Watanuki said, not wanting his friend to fall into a pit of despair that would be almost impossible to crawl out of._

" _I know that you want your friend to be okay and you'll do what you must, but please don't make me watch. I don't want to have to stand by if someone else has to die. I won't do it if you refuse to let him help."_

 _Watanuki sighed, knowing his friend was going to be impossibly stubborn about this._

" _Whatever. I guess I can't stop you anyway; just don't do anything unless you absolutely have to."_

' _Although something tells me you'll do it even if I told you not to.'_

" _Very well." Merlin said, smiling thinly. He knew that they had fractured their friendship with this argument, and there was no going back. They could slowly close the cracks, hopefully before they became giant fissures. "I suppose we will talk later."_

" _Yes, I will talk to you when I have the time. Its been pretty busy lately after all."_

 _Liar._

" _Bye." Merlin said quietly, before watching Watanuki fade away. He thought he distantly heard an apology, but was too lost in his tears to bother trying to figure it out._

 _**present day**_

Merlin and Watanuki hadn't talked since then, even though Watanuki couldn't say that he hadn't thought about it. He wanted to talk to him, and tell him he was absolutely fine. Of course, Merlin would see right through him as he always had, and he'd probably just get mad at him. What was he thinking? He was probably still mad at him. Watanuki didn't want to admit it, but the man's words had deeply hurt him and it somehow made him think about the time he was being lectured by the jorogumo.*** She had told him about the different people that were worried, like the pipe fox, Mugetsu. Frowning, he went to his room to sleep off his latest treatment for Fai. He could feel it getting worse, day by day. The only consolation for him was that he could tell that Fai was starting to get a little better. Soon enough, he'd be back on his feet and probably hating him, just like another magician/warlock he knew. As he fell asleep, he could distantly feel some tears rolling down his cheeks at the thought.

TBC…

*I know him getting his eye back didn't really seem to do anything except give him that magic; it didn't really go into the whole vampire thing. Am I wrong?

**Think of it sort of like that thing that Nimueh uses in The Poisoned Chalice

***I'm pretty sure we all know who the Jorogumo (Spider Lady) is, but she appears a few times in the anime and the manga. She is the one who opens Watanuki's eyes and lectures him about self-worth.

Well, _that_ quickly spun out of control. Whoops? I didn't really mean for them to get into such a heated argument like that, but I guess it adds into the plot a bit. So, will Watanuki ever tell Doumeki? (How likely is that, really?) Will Merlin be forced to tell Doumeki or will he figure it out on his own? As Fai gets better, is he still going to want Watanuki as a friend?


End file.
